Spencer Day

Spencer Day, 29, has enjoyed a musical career remarkable even for someone twice his age. He has appeared on national television four times and performed at some of the finest venues in the United States. His velvet baritone and original compositions have earned him acclaim from coast to coast. His voice inspires comparisons to Harry Connick Jr. and his compositions to those of Cole Porter, Paul Simon and Rufus Wainwright. Critics call Spencer Day “the male counterpart to Norah Jones.” Yet Spencer’s musical style is all his own, fusing jazz, contemporary and folk/country genres.

Largely self-taught, Day’s work reveals the influences of composers from Gershwin to Lennon and McCartney. In his music, one can hear the vulnerability of Chet Baker or Jeff Buckley and the phrasing and swing of Ella Fitzgerald. “I want to create a passionate fusion of all the musical styles that have inspired me,” Day says. “As I grow as an artist, I hope to continue paying homage to the great artists who have shaped my style and sensibilities. I want to create music that is smooth and sophisticated but teeming with raw emotion and fire under the surface. It is in life’s contradictions where the most beautiful things are created.”

A self-proclaimed perfectionist and workaholic, Day has been devoting himself to his career, and his hard work is paying off. He will be a featured performer at the 2007 San Francisco Jazz Festival. He is a perennial favorite In the Bay Area, headlining at Yoshi’s, the Plush Room, the Great American Music Hall and the Herbst Theatre. In New York City, Spencer received rave reviews in Time Out and Backstage magazines and performed to wildly enthusiastic audiences at the Town Hall, Joe’s Pub, and the Canal Room. He has headlined at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, The Sheldon Concert Hall in St Louis, and the Dakota in Minneapolis.

Day’s creativity also includes musical theater. In 2005, he collaborated with Rafe Chase on a full length musical, Someday, Love, which was performed at San Francisco’s New Conservatory Theater. Spencer starred in the show in addition to writing its score.

When he isn’t performing, Spencer is composing. A prolific and insightful songwriter, he has produced more than 50 tunes and recorded two well-received albums, Introducing Spencer Day (2004) and Movie of Your Life (2005). The song “Movie of Your Life” won San Francisco Academy of Art University’s 2005 competition for best original song. The resulting music video, produced by the school’s faculty and students, was selected by Dolby Laboratories as a demonstration video for the global launch of the Dolby 7.1 system and licensed to Buick for showcasing surround sound systems in its cars.

These days, Spencer has been recording the initial tracks of his newest works with Yair Evnine, his longtime guitarist/cellist; Grammy-nominated master drummer Scott Amendola (Charlie Hunter) and renowned bassist Jon Evans (Tori Amos).

Ultimately, what matters most is the music. As Spencer himself puts it, “Whatever I do, whatever I sing, my primary goal is to keep it pure and honest.”